Over
the last 15 years, The Dardenne Brothers have established themselves among the
premier filmmakers working in the world today. They rose to prominence with La
Promesse in 1996 (a film I still need to see), and ever since then have made
one great film after another – Rosetta (1999), about a young woman who just
wants a job, The Son (2002), perhaps my favorite of their films, featuring a
brilliant performance by Olivier Gourmet as the father of a murdered boy,
L’Enfant (2005), about two young people unprepared for parenthood and Lorna’s
Silence (2008), about an immigrant woman trying to gain citizenship. It was
widely seen as the brother’s weakest film, and although perhaps it is, that
does not take away from what really is a wonderful piece of filmmaking, which
combines the brother’s typical neo-realism, with a little bit of film noir.

Their
latest, The Kid with a Bike, is one of their best. It stars young Thomas Doret
as Cyril, a 12 year old who has been shipped off to a juvie home by his father
(Jeremie Renier), supposedly just for a month, but his father has since left
their apartment, turned off his phone, and had no contact with Cyril. What is
heartbreakingly obvious to the audience – that he has abandoned his son – is
what Cyril refuses to accept. He goes to his father’s old apartment looking for
him, even though he’s been told his father moved out and left no forwarding
address. Still, he demands to be let into the apartment to try and find his
father – and his bike. Soon, counselors from the school show up once again to
take him back. Witnessing all of this is Samantha (Cecile De France), a local
hairdresser, who takes it upon herself to track down the kid’s bike – which his
father has sold – and buy it back. When she brings it to the school, Cyril asks
if he can live with her on weekends – and she agrees. He still wants to see his
father though, and although Samantha tracks him down, the meeting doesn’t go
like Cyril hopes it will. Starving for a father figure, Cyril finds one in Wes
(Egon Di Mateo), a local drug dealer and petty criminal, who seemingly takes a
shine to Cyril. Once again, what is obvious to us in the audience is lost on
Cyril. Wes will try and take advantage of the kid in one way or another.

The
Dardenne brothers are neo-realists at heart, and their films recall the best of
the work of Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica, who also made films about
economically depressed people trying to survive in bad conditions. Rosetta is
perhaps the bleakest of the Dardenne brother’s films, as it offers little hope.
On the flip side, The Kid with the Bike, although it is heartbreakingly honest,
is their most cheerful. Cyril is a resilient kid, even if he still needs to
learn a lot, and the movie at least offers him some hope. The film is really
about Cyril’s need for love. Where his mother has gone is never established.
His father has abandoned him, and doesn’t want him around – he’s trying to
start over, and have Cyril around would be a distraction. The casting of
Dardenne regular Renier in the role of the father made me think that this could
be a sort of quasi sequel to the child. Surely, Renier’s character her is about
as mature and responsible as he was in that film. Samantha, a woman with no
kids of her own, at first seems tentative and unsure of herself. As the movie
progresses, she discovers her maternal side. She truly does begin to love Cyril
– and proves it by sticking beside him when no one else will.

The
Dardenne brother’s films are among the most intimately observed being made
right now. Often, they simply follow their characters on their journeys – as if
by looking long enough, maybe we’ll begin to understand them. Perhaps their
right. What I do know is The Kid with a Bike is among the best of the Dardenne
Brothers films – which is becoming one of the most impressive bodies of work of
anyone in the world.

About Me

I am an accountant, living in Brantford, ON - and although I am married and have beautiful daughter, I still find time to watch a lot of movies. This blog is mostly reviews of new movies - with other musing thrown in as well.